1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frame structure, and more particularly, to a frame structure that can be folded for storage and expansion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Structure is one of the most fundamental elements upon which the existence of a material form, such as a house or a machine is based. Without structure, the material form cannot be maintained, and if the material form cannot be maintained, it cannot be clearly expressed. Therefore, without the material structure, the organic and inorganic materials cannot be combined together. The strength that resists force and preserves the perpetuity of the form of an object is termed structure. In human technical environment, structure is a material pattern that preserves the functions of objects.
The technical mission for the structure to shoulder is to not only control the weight of an object itself, but also bear an external load (force). Such a mission is mechanically termed as bearing. As a structure system for upholding a form is subject to the load conditions and strictly dominated by the rules of natural force flows, it cannot be achieved under an arbitrary and free design. For instance, the form and space of a tent are resulted from considerations related to the bearing mechanism.
Structure is the foremost and the only tool for a tent to present the form and space thereof. In virtue of this function, structure is regarded as a basis of the human material environment. Thus, among various considerations in the design of a tent, structure is the primary factor to be considered. As the structure can be entirely hidden within a tent and may substantially appear as the form of a tent itself, such adaptability of the structural design of a tent permits a designer to embody his creative ideas through combining the forms, materials and forces. Hence, for increasing the utility rate and market share of tent products, how to actualize tents with improved structure and enhanced functions to meet the consumers' need has become the primary challenge for the manufactures to deal with.